Russian American
by hedgehogkween
Summary: After raising him in a closet for most of his life, Russia sells Alaska to America for 2 cents an acre. Alaska is saved from WA and ND by Texas ho takes him in and helps him be a state. AkxTX, one sided DCxUSA.
1. Rocky Start

Russian American- Alaska

*story told from Alaska's POV*

**March 29, 1867(Friday):**

Today Mr. Russia told me to "pack my bags Аляска". I don't know what bags he's talking about, but he gave me a suitcase to put my things in, which is kinda like a bag. I packed all my clothes, but I decided I wanted to carry my кукла. I was worried he, or I, would get scared to be alone. That's why I took him everywhere. Mr. Russia made me eat something before we left. I don't remember what it was, but I remember eating it fast. Even in the car on our way to where we were going.

When I found out where we were, I was a little scared. It was a huge building with an airplane in it. It was the kind Mr. Russia had broken his back jumping out if, only the sides were closed. Everything looked in place for a takeoff.

"Mr. Russia?" I asked, gazing nervously up at the enormous machine. "Where are you going?"

"Nowhere." He answered simply, keeping his eyes fixed on the plane. "_You,_ on the other hand, are going somewhere." I hugged my кукла tightly and boarded the plane. The seats were about a foot from the top of my head, even when I stood up. When Mr. Russia sat down, his head was about half a foot from the top of the seat. It reminded me how small I was.

"You probably want to buckle up," he suggested, snapping his own seatbelt "We're going to be flying across the ocean." That was the last thing I heard him say after I buckled the seatbelt and leaned against the window and, once we had taken off, fallen asleep for a few hours. I was in for a very long ride.

**March 30, 1867(Saturday):**

When I woke up, my cheek was cold and flat from being pressed against the window for so long. I rubbed it for a little while, trying to warm it up and make the blood flow so that it wouldn't get frost bite and fall off.

I looked around after my cheek felt normal, forgetting for a moment where I was.

"Oh, that's right." I remembered. "We're on an airplane to…" I realized that I still didn't know where we were going. It was beginning to scare me. What if Mr. Russia was going to throw me off in the middle of nowhere? "He wouldn't do that." I tried comforting myself. Then, Mr. Russia's huge hand rested on my shoulder.

"Аляска," came a hissing voice from behind me. I spun around in my seat to see Mr. Russia standing behind me. "We're about to land in Vancouver. Make sure your seatbelt is buckled for the landing." He walked back to his seat. I checked and tightened my seatbelt before gazing back out the window at somewhere I'd never seen before. It was almost the same as Moscow, but the buildings were different, and there wasn't as much snow.

"M-Mr. Russia?" I whimpered, unable to say it any louder. He didn't hear me, but I was unable to say it any louder from fear. I'll admit, I'm afraid of a lot of things. New places is one of them, falling from high places is one of them, and death is definitely one of them. I was almost positive that he was going to throw me off the plane, at least until we landed. I hadn't even noticed when we'd touched down until Mr. Russia was behind me, grabbing my arm.

"Аляска." He started sternly. I turned to face him, barely able to see through the tears welling up in my eyes. "We've touched down in Vancouver. Grab your things, you know where the exit is." He walked away, leaving me a bit dazed for a moment. I looked out the window to see that we were landed. There was a blonde man I'd never seen before outside who appeared to be waiting for us. I grabbed my bag and my кукла before running hurriedly out of the plane. Mr. Russia would yell at me if I took to long.

When I got off the plane, he was talking to the strange man. He was much taller than me but shorter than Mr. Russia. He was wearing a strange jacket with a furry scarf thing built in. He handed Mr. Russia a large yellow envelope. Mr. Russia smiled strangely and turned to me.

"Аляска," he said, faking a sweet tone. I cautiously walked closer, wondering what he was going to do. Once I was close enough, he lifted me off the ground easily and handed me to the other man. He stared down at me and a look of realization crossed his face.

"Russia," the man said, looking at Mr. Russia with honest concern "does he… know?"

"Know what?" Russia turned around, already heading back towards the plane.

"About _this_, does he know about this?" I looked frantically at Mr. Russia. He smiled and shook his head before slowly walking back to the plane.

"I never told him Amerika. I knew he'd figure it out on his own though". I watched Mr. Russia desperately, trying in vain to return to him on the plane.

"Mr. Russia!" I called vainly, knowing he wouldn't hear me if he was already on the plane. "Mr. Russia, wait! Mr. Russia!" I struggled a little trying to catch up with Mr. Russia, but the other man only held on tighter.

"_Mr. Russia!_" I cried, for the last time. I watched as he disappeared onto the airplane. I felt hot tears roll down my cheeks. The plane roared for what felt like forever before finally lifting off and disappearing into the cloudy sky. I hadn't even noticed that we had moved until he'd set me in a car. Mr. "Amerika" had a sympathetic look on his face as he walked around the car and sat in the seat in front of mine. He wouldn't say anything to me for the entire car ride, and I began to wonder what he was going to do with me. I wondered why da- Mr. Russia had left me here with a strange man in a strange place. I held my кукла closer, holding it against my face to hide the fact that I was crying. There was a strange feeling in side of me- apart from sickness and worry- that I had never felt before. I realized almost immediately what it was though- loneliness.

**December 31, 1958 (Wednesday):**

I heard someone call my name, "Alaska!", and turned around. Ms. DC was standing behind me, looking quite out of breath.

"Good evening ma'am." I said, trying to be polite. "Are you alright?"

She laughed and bent down to ruffle my hair before she caught her breath again.

"Fine! In fact, more than fine! Mr. America got you admitted!"

"What does-"

"You get to be a state!" she shouted happily. I just stared at her for a moment. I knew she couldn't be serious, so I just nodded my head slowly. I was way too small to be part of Mr. America; he was such a big country. I quickly glanced at the black veins in my arm before looking back at her to say something.

"Ms. DC… are you sure… _me?_" I asked. She looked confused.

"Well, yeah. Alaska you've been with us for almost 40 years. And that's must capitol time." She grinned. "It's been a long, _long_ time since you lived with Rus-"

"I know." I interrupted. Just _hearing_ daddy's name made me feel cold on the inside. Not that she knew that…

"C'mon kiddo, they're finalizing the decision on the third. You get to meet the rest of your siblings at last! Aren't you excited?"

"Siblings?" I asked, staring blankly at her. I'd heard the word before but never known what it'd meant.

"Yeah, the other states. Over 50 brothers and sisters!" she said. There was a short awkward silence before I could speak.

"I'm not sure how I feel about that…" She only laughed and ruffled my hair again.

"It'll be totally fun! They're all totally fun!... You know kind of… most of the time… some of them…" The tone in her voice went down quickly. I really wasn't sure about this now.

"They aren't… all nice?" I asked. Mr. America had told me over the years how all of his states were totally nice and everyone got along, but I had suspected that these were lies he told to make me feel more comfortable with him. I'd been living with him for longer than either of us had cared to keep track of and I still hadn't changed; I hadn't gotten less paranoid, less anorexic, or less short. The last two didn't bother me as much anymore, but worrying that anything I did would result in me getting sent back to daddy gave me nightmares. Frequent nightmares. I actually hadn't slept since Sunday…

"They're usually nice if we're not in a war or anything…" she said, snapping me out of my thoughts. "Maine and Mass are a little.. iffy… Rhode Island and Providence are never nice to me… Texas and Idaho…" she laughed a little "Both heavy drinkers so watch out for them." She finally glanced at my uncertain face. "Vermont is nice." She said quickly "She's very…uh… nice." She stared at the ground and rubbed the back of her head. I looked too, but all I saw were those black spots on the ground where someone had spit out their gum.

"Anyway, Daddy wants to see you so come on kiddo." She announced perkily. For her, "daddy" was Mr. America, but I don't know she calls him that. He isn't her daddy.

I looked at the sky one last time before she led me back into the building in which Mr. America's New Years party was taking place. The stars always seem dimmer here than in my state, which scared me a little because they were still the same stars. It may have been because there were so many people here, but that also might not have been it. Even with all these people, I was still… lonely

January 3, 1959 (Saturday):

I stared up hopelessly at the enormous wooden door in front of me. What was happening or who was waiting on the other side was a complete mystery to me. Ms. DC had left me here in front of the meeting room to go find Mr. America. I felt nervous about the other states. I'd never even known I had siblings before Ms. DC had told me about them a few days ago, and now I was about to meet them. I took a breath, and slowly reached for the door handle.

"FIRE IN THE HOLE!" the door was blasted open before I had a chance to open it myself. Two people ran past me, looking almost identical. I turned around and saw two boys, twins I guessed, observing the carnage they'd created.

"Told 'ja we shoulda used C4."

"C4 kills people stupid."

"If we used a little-"

"Then it would kill someone."

"But firecrackers are getting sooooo boring…"

"But they're the only thing in our budget. And the only thing we can get this time of year."

I'd gotten confused just watching them talk. I noticed that one of them had neat blonde hair and a clean shirt and the other… slightly browned hair from the explosives, and t-shirt. He'd ripped the sleeves off. I decided to interrupt their argument.

"Um, e-excuse me?" They looked over at me and I realized that my voice was shaking.

"Uh… I-is this the meeting room?" I asked. It was all I could say. The neater looking one opened his mouth to speak but the scarier one interrupted.

"Yeah. Why?" his voice was surprisingly rough, like he'd been smoking or something.

"Uh, no reason. I just needed to-"

"Only states are allowed in there." He interrupted again. "I've never seen you here before so I don't think you're a state. You should leave." He turned back to the shattered bits of door and picked one up, pretending to examine it.

"oh, um, o-okay…" I tried to make my way around them while keeping myself from crying again. Before I could leave though, I bumped into Ms. DC.

"Alaska, where are you going?" she asked as I tried to walk past her.

"N-nowhere." I said quietly. She grabbed my shoulder, making me flinch.

"Alaska," she asked again "where are you going?" I turned around to face her, my eyes full of tears.

"I… I'm not a real state, am I?" I whimpered "Am I?" she stared down at me, shocked.

"Of course you are! Who told you you're not?" she asked, putting both hands on my shoulders. There was a small noise behind us and she turned her head. She seemed to immediately get angry when she saw the two boys.

"YOU TWO? What did you do?" she screamed at them. She turned to them, shouting as they tried to duck back into the room. I glanced though the shattered door. Nobody on the inside seemed to mind that most of the door was gone. I took a few steps closer, glanced back at Ms. DC- who had cornered the two boys and was scolding them- and stepped cautiously into the room. For the most part, it was full of very tall people. Of the people here, I knew two of them. And neither of them were in the room. I decided to try finding someone to talk to, but almost everyone was busy. A blonde girl hopped excitedly around a mature seeming girl with lighter brown hair who seemed to be ignoring her. A boy…girl?... person in a black hooded cloak stood over a small circle of light on the ground next to a man… woman?... person with long black hair. I decided to approach a boy with silvery gray hair. He was sitting awkwardly next to a girl with red braids and a darker-skinned boy.

"Uh… excuse me?" I said. He looked up at me with large, blank eyes.

"Huh?" his voice sounded sleepy and peaceful. Just hearing it made me tired suddenly.

"Um, my name is… Alaska, and I, uh…" I couldn't manage to say anything. I really hadn't planned what I would say when I met my siblings.

"Alaska?" he said slowly "Are you a state? I've never seen you here before… my state name is Wyoming." He gave me a friendly smile and turned to the other two states next to him.

"These are my friends, Montana and-"

"Huh?" the red-haired girl turned to look at him. She was nowhere near as calm or quiet as he was. "You need somthin'?"

"No, I was just talking to-"

"Well, hallo there!" she said excitedly, looking at me. "I'm Montana, and this here is mah herd. We haven't had a new face around here in a little while. Are you a state? Which state are you? Are you new? I've never seen you before…" she spoke so quickly that I couldn't understand half of what she said.

"I thing you overwhelmed him Jessica." Said the dark skinned boy. I must have looked flustered because all three of them were staring at me now, and I was beginning to feel awkward.

"Um, I think I should go find Ms. DC… It was nice meeting you all." I started to make my way back into the crowd of people away from the surprised looking "herd". As I left I saw them talking to each other. I thought about it and realized I may have been a bit rude trying to get away from them like that. I didn't even learn the other boy's name.

"OHMEEGEE! HE'S _SOOOOOOO_ CUTE!" I heard someone say behind me. Something wrapped itself around my body, squeezing me until I couldn't breathe. I heard noise in the room fading out. I tried struggling my way out but I couldn't escape the tight hold of whatever was behind me. My vision started to fade and I wondered, for a moment, why I had wanted to leave the safety of daddy's closet.

Sorry it took such a looooong time to update anything. My netbook died and I know I said August but yay, I got a new laptop earlier! Anyway, the next chapter will explain the weird ending of weirdness… The next chapter includes Texas's (whoo!) point of view.


	2. Welcome to the Country!

Russian American- Alaska

*chapter told from Texas's POV*

I made my way to where my brother was enjoying "quality time" with Nevada. California, my brother, had been pinned onto a couch by her again. To say that they were kinda kissing would be like saying Antarctica is kinda cold in the winter. They'd been together for so long that they didn't care who saw them (and nobody else cared anymore). I lifted Nevada off of him and pulled him of the couch.

"Heeeeeey, whydja do that?" he asked, the words slurring together.

"You're still hungover from last night."

"Las' night wadn't that long ago…" I looked up at the clock.

"It's past noon. C'mon, let's get Mex and-" I almost finished my sentence before I heard a lot of excited screaming across the room. Well, not screaming. Squealing would probably be a better word… I sighed and dragged my younger brother behind me. No doubt some of the girls had found a new toy. When I saw their new toy, I felt my heart almost stop.

_It was a small child._ I hadn't seen him here before but I knew America had said something about a new face so could've been him. Speaking of faces, his was turning blue. I ran over to help to poor thing before they glomped him to death.

"Girls!_ GIRLS!" _The pair looked up at me for just long enough for me to grab the child away from them. He immediately collapsed onto the floor next to me, looked up at them, and clung to my leg. His face was pale, and his entire body was trembling. I turned back to the girls, who looked almost surprised that I'd taken away their new toy.

"Hey, whydja do that?" asked Washington, trying to look innocent.

"Yeah, we were just introducing ourselves…" North Dakota gave me an indifferent look, trying to copy Washington's face.

"You two were_ strangling him_. You have to be more careful." I almost shouted. They decided (quickly) that there were other toys they'd rather be playing with and left. I glanced down at the boy next to me. He slowly looked up and saw me. He gave a small gasp and let go, staggering backwards and falling onto ground. He looked like he was going to be sick.

"Oh no, it's alright." I comforted. I gently held him close to me, trying to comfort the terrified child. He wrapped his shaking arms around my neck, burying his face to hide his tears. I heard his scared whimpers close to my ear and softly caressed the back of his head.

"_It's okay, you're okay. Don't worry; everything is going to be okay..._" I whispered, trying to calm him down. I saw my youngest brother, New Mexico, watching from a little ways away. He and his friends looked shocked and a little scared. I walked over to them but was interrupted before I had a chance to start a sentence.

"Is he alright?" asked Montana, who stood up to get a better view of the child.

"He'll be fine, but… I think we're going home. C'mon Mex, your brother's drunker than daddy on Cinco de Mayo…" we both laughed a little at this joke. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched California plod to our corner of the room.

"Bro, I'm tiiiiiiiiiiiired… can we go home? I frickin' wanna go home…" he whined. I grabbed by the back of his shirt and dragged him out of the room.

"Yeah, we're going home." I heard a small sob next to me and saw that the boy had lifted his small head off of his arms just enough to look at me. His eyes were red and a little puffy from crying but I could see one thing in them clearly: fear. Fear of being left alone, or worse; strangled again.

"_We're not leaving you here alone._" I whispered to him. "_You can come with us. It'll be much safer for you…_" his eyes widened and he squeezed my neck lightly. I smiled to myself and, looking over my small family to make sure I had everyone, led them to our car. I placed the boy into a back car seat and he reluctantly let go, releasing a small whimper as I walked to the other side of the car. He was able to buckle himself into the seatbelt but said almost nothing the entire way home. My youngest brother tried to talk to him, but he'd only nod or shake his head until he was asked his name.

"M-my name is… Alaska." He almost whispered. His voice was shaking and he sounded like he'd been crying the entire car trip. If I hadn't been the one driving I would've tried to comfort the poor thing, but Mex was to young to drive and Cal was to hungover to drive. I wondered what I'd do with him when we got home… and if he'd be missed at the meeting. I passed my cellphone back to New Mexico.

"Mex, call DC and told her we left early because Tye got hungover with Clarisse again… and tell her Alaska's with us." I told him. He took the phone and dialed the number. I was proud of how independent he was. I turned back to the road and saw, just in time, that I'd almost passed our house.

"Cal, we're home. Put your shirt back on."

"No, I don' wanna." He whined, pawing stupidly at the car door handle."

"Cal, you have to open the car door and then get out."

"I knew that…"

"…Cal, you use the little handle thing."

"I knew that…"

"… _Cal, you have to push the door open._"

"I knew that- I'm stuck."

"Seatbelt."

"I knew THAT…"

"Great, you opened the door. NOW PUT YOUR STUPID SHIRT ON!"

And that was our entire conversation about a stupid car door… After walking around the car to show Cal _how_ to unbuckle the seatbelt (again), I noticed how nervous Alaska looked. I realized that all of our- my- yelling may have freaked him out a bit so I let him out of the car next. New Mexico, who was fully capable of letting himself out if the car, was Guiding Cal to the front door.

"I'm gonna go throw up and take a nap…" he shouted. Mex gave an exasperated sigh and opened the front door. I unbuckled Alaska and lifted him out of the car. He shuddered as I set him down.

"C'mon, the house is this way." I said, taking his hand. He looked up at me cautiously and slowly followed me into the house. He seemed to be keeping his head down as if he would get in trouble for looking at anything. He peeked up at me once, but quickly returned his eyes to the ground. I could tell he was nervous, and probably more than a little scared. I could almost relate to him, remembering having come to this country years ago with my brothers. I'd been a little nervous myself, but it wasn't the same as the pressuring fear that was forcing his shy behavior. I lightly squeezed his small hand, opening the door to the guest bedroom.

XxXxX

Even though there aren't many Alaskans in the central country area, these two kinda make sense… a little… they're both huge (not just geographically (; ) and they have a lot of oil. Please review of you read this… It's my motivation to type these things up.


	3. Pain in Memory

Russian American- Alaska

*chapter told from Alaska's POV*

_I fell onto the bed, my shaking arms the only thing preventing me from hitting the welcoming blankets. A mix of red and white seeped slowly down my back, pooling at my legs in sickening pink. _

"_You should learn how to obey me, Аляска." came daddy's voice, full of fake tenderness._

"_D-daddy, I'm so-sorry-"*crack* a sharp pain shot through my back and my arms gave way. I fell onto the soaked blankets barely holding back a scream._

"_I told you not to call me that." He said coldly, sinking his fingernails into my back. "I am not your father."_

"_M-Mr. Russia, I-" *crack* another sharp pain. I wasn't able to hold the scream back this time._

"_Do not speak to me. You will not speak to me until I speak to you."_

"_Y-yes Mr. Russia…"_

_*crack* *crack*_

_*CRACK*_

XxXxX

I screamed again, bolting upright in bed.

"_M-Mr. Russia! Stop, Stop! I'm sorry, I-"_ I felt a hand on my shoulder. I gasped and opened my eyes to warm, hazel eyes.

"Alaska, what's wrong?" asked Texas. I hadn't known how hard I was breathing until I'd begun to calm myself down. I wasn't at da-Mr. Russia's house, I was back in Texas's guest bedroom.

"WH-what? ...Wh-where-"

"Alaska, are you okay? You were screaming." He said, his tone and face showing honest concern.

"I-I think it was a n-nightmare…" I stuttered.

"Aw, it's alright." He comforted, putting his arms around me. "It was just a dream, it's over now." I let out small gasp being so close to him. He was so warm…

"YO, ALASKA! You alright bro?" someone shouted from the door. I saw California and New Mexico standing in the door, looking scared for some reason. I opened my mouth to speak but Texas only held me closer and spoke for me.

"He had a bad dream, that's all." He said smiling at them. "He's fine now, you two can go back to sleep."

"Oh.. m'kay. G'night guys." yawned California, plodding slowly back to his room mumbling to himself.

"Hope you sleep better Alaska" said New Mexico before leaving.

It was a little strange being alone with Texas again after that… I slowly returned my gaze to him, wondering what he would do.

"Alaska," he almost whispered, putting me down and sitting me against the pillow "if you don't mind my asking, what was your dream about?"

"Um… It was about… my daddy…" I started slowly, crossing my legs shyly. "He was…um… w-well, he… and I… we…we sort of…" I didn't want to say it. He'd think I was weird and different and send me back to DC and she'd send me to da-

"He raped you?" Texas asked. I gasped and stared at him, thinking of some horrible thing that would follow my answer.

"…y…y-yes." I whispered, flinching in preparation for any pain following he word.

"Alaska…" he said softly, taking my small hand in his large one. "Alaska, it's okay. It was only a dream, right?" He smiled. I held the answer back for a moment before taking a shaky deep breath and telling him the whole truth.

"N-no… it wasn't just a dream…" I started. His face changed from comfort to shock. "H-he really used to do that. He used to do it every night. I wasn't even a person to him, I was just a… a slave…" I said, spilling the truth like the blood had spilled down my beck so many times. I glanced up at him fearfully. His face had turned to horrified, squeezing my trembling hand a little tighter. I felt my heart sink from fear. Fear of being thought of as weird and having to go back-

He suddenly hugged me very close. I almost couldn't breath, but I could almost tell… he could've been… crying? …for me?

"Alaska," he started, his voice firm and unwavering "He isn't here now, he can't hurt you here. But if he ever, _ever_ tries to hurt you again…" He clenched his hand into a fist, taking up some of my pajama shirt.

"I'll be there for you." He said "I promise, he will never hurt you again." My heart lifted back into my chest.

"Texas?" I whispered. He looked down at me, his eyes slightly glassy. "Wh-what if… I have another nightmare… a-and you're not in it to protect me…?" He stayed quiet for a moment, and then gave me a small smile.

"You can sleep with me then." He said. His smile grew wider and he lifted me off the bed. He held me close for another moment before carrying me to his room. I felt my heartbeat quicken. I would've been nervous if I hadn't felt so happy.

It was a little strange sleeping with someone again… Whenever I'd slept with daddy, I'd been because I'd passed out from exhaustion or blood loss. But Texas was different. He was warm and welcoming, and more snuggly. I slept soundly that night, and for all the night that followed that we slept together (which was a lot). I hadn't ever really thought about it as "inappropriate", let alone "sexual" until I was older… Then I felt weird inside… almost used… Would my relationship with Texas end the same way as mine with daddy?


	4. Happy New Years

Russian American- Alaska

*chapter told from Texas's POV*

January 1st, 1968 (Wednesday)

I looked up at the clock over the TV. 8:30 am. We had a family tradition of going out for New Years Breakfast every year and we would leave in about an hour. I turned off the TV and stepped quietly into my own bedroom. Alaska was sleeping peacefully on the bed, tucked snuggly into the covers. Waking him up in the morning was one of my favorite times to see him. He always so sweet and innocent (even more so than he was the rest of the day). I thought back to New Years about 10 or so years ago. Alaska was no longer the small child I'd picked up at the meeting room. He'd grown into a beautiful young man and, unlike California, had kept his innocence. If I hadn't known better I'd have said he looked about 15 or so, maybe even 16. I lightly stroked the hair covering his forehead away, giving him a small kiss. He began to stir. I'd learned a while ago that it was the easiest (and my favorite) way to wake him up.

"Wake up sleepy head." I said, my voice barely above a whisper. His amber eyes slowly fluttered open and fixed on me.

"Good morning Texas…" he murmured "Did you sleep okay?"

"Wonderful." I replied, smiling down at him. "How about you?" he nodded his head and hugged my chest sleepily.

"Today is New Years day, isn't it?" he asked. It was my turn to nod, sweeping him off the bed and into my lap. It was another thing that set him apart from my brother; Unlike Cal, he really hadn't grown up much. California was always so much more independent and headstrong, never wanting to play like this. Alaska was really just a little kid on the inside… a little kid that had never really had a chance to…

"Texas?" his sweet voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

"Yes Alaska?" I asked, gazing at the smaller, yet larger, state.

"How long has it been? Since, you know…" his gaze lowered a little, and I could tell e was mentally reliving his horrible past.

"A long time." I replied " It's been over ten years now…"

"Has it really been that long?" the surprise in his voice made him sound more awake. "It feels like it could've been yesterday…" I nodded and sighed.

"Should we go wake up Cal and Mex?" I asked, trying to change the subject. I lowered him onto the ground. He stretched his arms and skipped lightly out of the room. I smiled weakly, shook my head and sighed again. Ten years it's been and almost nothing had changed between us. I was afraid to tell him how I felt. He knew how much older than him I was. I didn't want him to feel the same way about me as he did with Russia; used, like I'd only taken him in so that I could turn him into a toy.

"Good morning big brother!" called a voice from outside the bedroom door. It was my youngest brother New Mexico. He hadn't aged as much as Alaska had, looking only about 10 or so. I'd guessed that, despite how old he looked when we met, he was older that New Mexico.

"Mornin' bro!" called Cal, walking around Mex to the TV.

"Hold on Cal," I called, walking to the doorway. For some reason, standing in a doorway while having an argument seems to make you more successful in getting your point across.

"What? I didn't do anything yet." He whined "I'm thirsty…"

"Your always thirsty. But you know what your not?"

"Naked?"

"_Dressed." _I told him. He gave a loud, exasperated sigh and stomped back to his room. He always sleeps in his underwear and then gets up as early as possible to watch Disney cartoons. I glanced at Alaska and Mex. Both of them, of course, were properly dressed and had brushed their hair at least. It was by no means easy raising two brothers and a young man under one roof, but it sure as heck was rewarding. A knock at the door pulled me out of my own mind and made me realize I'd been staring at Alaska again. I opened the door to Nevada.

"Hi Tex!" she said cheerfully. "Is Cal here?"

"Of course, but he's not dressed yet so you have to wait for him." I waved her inside. She walked… skipped… danced?... into the room and stood by the bathroom door.

"Good morning Clarisse." Said Alaska shyly. "You look beautiful."

"Aw, thanks kiddo!" she said, holding back an obvious urge to hug him tightly. She was wearing a short, black coat. Something red and ruffled was peeking out the bottom, most likely a dress. She also had put on playboy makeup, dark eye makeup and red lipstick. It didn't go particularly well with her teal green eyes but nobody would tell her that. Not that it would offend her. Once you dye your hair pink I'd guess you'd get a lot of criticism about looks.

She'd starting putting on more lipstick when we finally heard the sink turn off. She stood in front of the door and, as soon as it opened, pulled Cal into a passionate kiss on the lips. It smudged his face with lipstick but he wouldn't wipe it off. It would offend her more than any other insult. Girls confuse me…

"Is everyone ready to go? I asked, looking at the clock again. 9:20 am. Nobody seemed to say no so, pulling out my car keys, I led my small family to the truck.


	5. Drunk

Russian American- Alaska

*chapter told from Alaska's POV*

I wasn't really sure how it'd happened in the first place. I remember that Texas and New Mexico had gone to buy or see something. I remember California and Nevada taking me to a bar. I remember them making me drink a lot and Texas being angry. Finally, I remember waking up at home in Texas's bed. My head was pounding and I felt like I was about to throw up. I heard yelling outside the bedroom door. I heard "trouble" and "booze", and a new word I'd never heard before. I couldn't remember what it was, but I know I'd drank a lot of it and that Cal had convinced me it was water to make me drink more. I also heard Texas yelling my name. He sounded angry, furious even. After a long time of yelling, Texas left to take Nevada back to her house, meaning that Cal had tagged along. That left me with New Mexico. A few minutes after they'd left, I'd stumbled out of my room. I kept falling over and eventually New Mexico had to open the door for me. He also had to lead me to the couch so I could wait for Texas in the living room. I had no idea why, but for some reason I decided I wanted to talk to him about Texas.

"Hey, Miguel," I asked. "Is it weird to sleep with people you like a lot?" He looked thoughtful for a moment. One of the things I appreciated about New Mexico was his ability to answer a question without judging the asker or making it uncomfortable.

"Well…" he started "Most people consider it to be "indecent", to sleep with someone if their not married, but both Cal and my daddy do it, so… I don't know. I guess if you don't care about what other people think or nobody knows about it then your fine…"

"Is it okay for guys to get married?"

"Some places it is. Honestly, if that's what makes them happy I don't care. I mean, how does it affect me? Why should I care who people marry? It's none of my business."

I stared at him for a minute. I almost couldn't believe what I'd just heard. It made me feel a little more comfortable talking to him about myself… and Texas.

"What if… it were me? And Texas?" I asked. At the same time, I asked myself "_what the heck am I doing?"_

"I'd be happy for you two." He said absently, flipping through TV channels. "If you don't mind me asking, why are you asking _me _all these questions? Are you feeling alright?"

"W-well, not fine really… my stomach kinda hurts from all of… whatever that stuff was… Ugh, I feel really sick."

"Sick like it's sore or sick like you're going to throw up?" he asked. He sounded genuinely concerned, kinda like I'd expect a mother to.

"k-kinda like I'm going to-" I moaned and immediately wrapped my arms around my stomach. It felt like something inside my stomach had suddenly lurched forward, bringing me with it.

"Come on, I'll take you to the bathroom." He said, taking my hand and helping me up. "One time Cal got sick like this and Texas told him that if he was going to throw up he should do it in the toilet so he doesn't have to clean it up." He paused. "He also said that it wouldn't have happened if he hadn't drank so much. Come to think of it, it was more than once, wasn't it...?"

He led me to the side of the toilet and told me to sit down. He left and came back with a glass of water. He said that if my stomach started to get worse to tell him so that he could call a doctor and that Texas would probably be home in an hour. Then he left to wait for Texas in the living room. After about five minutes, everything started getting really blurry. I leaned against the side of the bathtub and slowly drifted off to sleep…

_I sat on the thick branch, waiting for Jamie to climb up._

"_C'mon Oak, you can do it!" called California from bellow. I could tell Oklahoma really wasn't strong enough to climb the tallest tree in California's front yard. I stretched my hand out to help him up. He took it, his fingers trembling in mine. I pulled him onto the branch next to me and he clung close to me for safety until he realized what he was doing. He quickly pulled himself away, almost lost his balance, and gripped the branch with what appeared to be his "death grip"._

"_A-Alaska! I-I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"_

"_It's alright." I smiled, putting an arm around him to make him feel more secure. He just straightened his glasses and turned his head away from me a little. I knew that it wasn't because he didn't like me that he did this. Idaho had told me he was scared of bigger states new people. And also heights, dogs, and especially being eaten so whatever I do keep him away from large dogs, wolves, and large animals... _

_A loud *CRACK* snapped me out of my thoughts. I saw California's face change from excitement to horror. Before I could realize what the noise was, I heard Jamie scream. I looked down and saw him crashing through the branches. The drop must have been at least 12 feet, and I heard a sickening *CRUNCH* when he hit the ground. I slid through the rough branches of the redwood as fast as I could, but even so the ground had been painted with a growing rose of blood by the time I reached the bottom. Oklahoma lay on the ground, his arms wrapped loosely around his bleeding and probably broken leg. His eyes were beginning to flutter closed, his glasses lying inches away. The lenses were shattered and a few small pieces had landed in his face, making small streams of blood. I tried to stay calm, kneeling down to pick the glass shards out of his face. He whimpered as the first one was gone, but made no attempt to stop me. I glanced up at California, who was staring horrified at Oklahoma._

"_Калифорния!" I shouted. "Go get Idaho!" he hesitated, nodded his head, and ran in the direction of the house. I turned back to Jamie, trying to gently lift him off the ground. I must've hit the hurt spot once because he cried out and clung close to me. He didn't try to get away from me this time._

_A few moments later, Idaho was next to me taking Oklahoma inside to call an ambulance. I had never seen him, Texas, or California leave the house, but they all stood around me now. California was kinda just freaking out, following Idaho inside to call the ambulance while Idaho tried to stop the bleeding. Texas was dragging me into the house, which I didn't realize until I was on the couch._

"_Alaska, what happened?" he said, urgency obvious in him tone._

"_Well, Калифорния said that his trees were the best climbing trees in the state so then Oklahoma and I decided to climb one and he was having a really hard time climbing it so I tried to help him up but the branch broke." I said, speaking so fast I hardly understood myself. Texas felt my arms and legs._

"_I'm fine." I added. Texas stopped and wrapped his arms around me._

"_I'm glad your alright." He said, holding me very close to him so that my face was against his neck. I felt a little embarrassed, but it made me happy to be around him so I hugged him back. I didn't really understand what the happy feeling was, but that I only got it around Texas. Just as he finally let go of me, California walked into the room. He looked panicked._

"_The ambulance is on it's way…" he said emptily. He seemed to be staring at nothing on the ground. Texas put a hand on his shoulder._

"_It's gonna be alright Cal." He comforted._

"_No… it's all my fault. I moved over on the couch and he fell onto it next to me. Texas tried to comfort him by explaining that it wasn't his fault. I was listening to him when I thought of something; Texas wasn't holding his brother the same way he held me. Why was that? Maybe it was because California was really stressed out? I knew it couldn't have been love… Texas had to love his own brother more than me…_

I opened my eyes and realized that I'd fallen asleep. I wondered why I had thought of that when I heard talking in the hallway. Texas must've finally come home. I tried to stand up but my legs felt heavy, like they might have died or something while I was asleep. I used the bathtub behind me to push myself up. Almost instantly, I remembered why I'd fallen asleep in the bathroom.


	6. Love Secret

Russian American- Alaska

*chapter told from Texas's POV*

I tried to refrain from speaking to Cal the whole way home. I knew any words that came out of my mouth would be angry and most likely yelling. It was bad enough that he had gone to a bar, it was even worse that he had taken Alaska with him. I'd had to carry him (not that I had a problem with that) and Cal to the car through the plaza while also keeping track on Nevada to wander off. Honestly, sometimes I think Mex and I are the only mature ones in the house. He helped guide Nevada to the car because she had apparently drank less than the other two. Thinking about it made me furious.

_I shoved my way through the crowded bar, hoping that they wouldn't be here of all places… which of course they were. I saw the three sitting at the counter, Nevada twirling around on one of the barstools with her hands in the air, her head wobbling as she spun. I slammed both of my hands down on the bar to get their attention._

"_CAL!" I shouted. A few heads turned towards us from around the bar. He pulled his head off of the bar and straightened his sunglasses .He grinned stupidly at me._

"_Heeeeeeeeeeey bro!" he mumbled, using his arm to hold his head from falling again. "Ya wanna drink? L'laska was drinking some, you wouldn't believe-"_

"_Come on Cal, we're leaving." I said, grabbing his arm._

"_Whaaaat? But you haven't even-"_

"_Now."_

"_But you-"I got tired of listening. I lifted him off the stool and over my shoulder, doing the same with Alaska, who had fallen unconscious on the bar."_

"_Clarisse, time to go."_

"_Okay mommy~" she said, falling off the still spinning barstool onto the ground, pulling herself up again, and falling onto me before finally regaining her balance. I led her out of the bar and, once we were outside, told her to follow Mex. I led my small family back to the car._

Being alone I the car with Cal now, I could have yelled at him more, but I knew that if I yelled too much I would have no voice tomorrow. I was worrying more about Alaska now. I hadn't talked to him since this morning since we'd split up at the plaza. He'd been unconscious the next time I'd seen him, and hadn't woken up in the car or at home. I was relieved to at last be home by the time the moon had come out. It was a long, traffic-filled drive to the airport and an even longer trip back. Not only was it ridiculously trafficy but also a little awkward because Cal insisted on sitting in the back seat. The only relief was finally pulling into the driveway. I pulled Cal out of the car but held onto his arm for a moment before opening the door.

"You're grounded for a week." I said flatly. He started to argue but I covered him mouth.

"Don't even try to argue. I specifically told you _not_ to give Alaska any drinks."

"Actually," he said, pulling my hand away. "You said not to take him into any bars. That wasn't a bar, it was a club. Totally different." I stared at him for a moment.

"Keep it up and I'll make it two weeks." I opened the door (Cal never really understood the whole "key" concept) and found Mex sitting in the living room waiting for us. Before I could say anything, he started talking.

"He threw up twice." He said, staring at me sympathetically. I said nothing, running to the bathroom to find Alaska just about to fall backwards out the door. I caught him and he stared up at me, looking surprised.

"Texas…?" he said sounding sleepy. Seeing that he was okay, for the most part, relieved me of the fear that he'd gotten extremely sick. I pulled him up into a hug, pressing me face into his warm brown hair. When I finally let him go he stumbled around for a minute before regaining his balance. He looked up at me, tilting his head like a curious puppy. I laughed and took his hand.

"Come on, lets get you changed into your pajamas." I guided him back to our room and helped him undress. What had once been his smooth, untouched back was covered with long scars, most likely from something sharp. I trailed a trembling finger down one. Alaska glanced back at me, his eyes slipping closed as he struggled to keep them open. I sighed and started to help him with him pants. He had such beautiful skin, smooth like silk yet warmer than most would expect. His head fell against my shoulder. He had lost the battle with exhaustion and lingering effects of vodka. Every breath was even and deep. He lay in my lap, with no pants and his pajama shirt opened. The sight was almost irresistible…

"_No!"_ I told myself. _"I can't so that to him, he's just a kid! Besides…"_

"…he doesn't feel that way about me." I whispered to myself. I sighed and pulled his pants on, trying to be gentle. I wished I could tell Alaska how I felt, but I didn't want to scare him. It was going to break my heart; loving him and being so close without him ever knowing. I pressed his lips softly to mine, just for a second, feeling guilty afterward. I knew I couldn't treat him like he wasn't awake; If he woke up it would all be over. I placed him into our bed before getting in myself. I held him close, pressing our lips together one last time before I drifted off to sleep.


	7. Nightmares and Rancid Love

Russian American- Alaska

*chapter told from Alaska's POV*

I had no idea was caused me to wake up in the middle of the night but the first thing I noticed was how close we were. I was used to sleeping with Texas after ten years, but never this close before. I almost rolled over, until I noticed the second thing; his arms were wrapped around me. I had no idea how that had happened. Maybe he'd done it in his sleep? I felt my face get hot, being this close to Texas. I decided to make the most of it and snuggled into his warm chest. I heard his heartbeat, slow and even in his chest. It was an inviting sound because I was so used to it. The surprise from being so close faded, replaced by comfort and content happiness. His warmth made me feel safe until something dawned on me; if Texas woke up he'd wonder why I had come closer or even push me away…

I tried to push the thought out of my head. I loved Texas, but I could never tell him. He would just laugh and smooth my hair like he always did when I said or did something stupid. He'd probably tell me that he loved me too and that I was like one of his brothers… I felt my eyes hurting from being open too long. I closed them and realized that it felt good to close my eyes. I allowed them to close fully and slowly drifted back to sleep…

_I felt the red liquid seep down my back, pooling around me in a more reddened pink than any time before. Every breath was shaky and uneven, and I'd already fallen onto the cold stone floor. This wasn't daddy's bedroom as it normally was. Whenever I did something really bad, such as leaving the closet, daddy would take me to the basement._

"_Alaska," came the voice. "I'm very disappointed in you. You should know better than to fall in love by now. You'll just be turned into a doll again, you might as well come back to me." Something was different. It was the voice; it wasn't daddy's voice. It was very familiar, like I'd heard it recently, but for some reason I couldn't tell who it was. I tried to lift my head but something held it down._

"_Alaska, you'll always be my doll." came the voice again, laughing this time. "We can play together, just like we used to." The voice came very close to my ear, hissing lustfully. "Every night we can play Alaska. And every day you can sleep in your room, just like you used to. You're a big boy now, will you still fit?"_

"_L-let me go." I whispered. The weight on my head became heavier, threatening to crush my skull._

"_Why should I? So you can go back to your "lover"?" the voice laughed again, more loudly this time. "He doesn't love you. You've slept with him for what, ten years now? And he's never shown any type of love to you. You're just another toy to him, just a sex object."_

"_You're wrong!" I shouted._

_*CRACK* I cried out as the leather hit my bare back. Something sharp, probably a knife, was trailed along the raw cut. I screamed, unable to get away from the horrible pain._

"_Y-you're wrong!" I screamed again. "T-Texas promised me… that if you ever tried to hurt me again, he'd be there to protect me! That you'd never hurt me again!"_

"_Haven't you figured it out yet you stupid child? Texas promised that your daddy would never hurt you again. I'm not your daddy…" the person attached to the voice removed their foot from my head, only to kick me in the stomach. I skidded across the floor, landing on my back. The voice's face hung close to mine, his long auburn hair hanging over mine. He held the whip in one hand, using it to hold my chin up towards him. He smiled at me, his face spattered with blood. My blood._

"… _I am Texas."_

I woke up screaming, tears spilling down my cheeks. I had rolled off the bed and was on the floor on my back. The same auburn hair hung over my face, the same terrifying face inched away from mine. I screamed again, trying desperately to escape his grasp. He had pinned me against the ground when I'd started to struggle, holding me against the rough carpet. I felt my heart beat accelerating. I panicked, trying to slide out of his grip.

"T-TEXAS, LET ME GO! I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY! I'LL DO WHATEVER YOU WANT ME TO! I'LL BE YOUR DOLL IF YOU WANT ME TO, PLEASE DON'T HURT ME!" I thrashed around, unable to control myself. The moment his grip loosened, I broke free and hit the wall. I quickly regained my balance and frantically tried to escape through the locked door. After a few seconds, I had the latch undone and burst out the door. California and New Mexico were outside but I pushed past them. I ran out the front door and down the street as fast as I could. I had no idea where I could go where I knew someone trustworthy that wouldn't send me back to Texas.

Suddenly, I saw bright light and then I was on the ground. I saw Texas running towards me with his two brothers behind him. I saw a large truck with, to my horror, something red splattered on the front of it. The ground around me was the same color. The last thing I remembered before blacking out was Texas shaking me and shouting for me to wake up.

XxXxX

*36 hours later*

I decided to keep my eyes closed as soon as I woke up. I didn't know where I was, but I knew I couldn't have been safe. After I didn't hear anything for at least five minutes, I decided to open my eyes. I was back in bed, the sun streaming through the window onto the ground next to me. I sat up and immediately my head started hurting. I heard a small clicking sound and turned to see the door opening. I clenched the blanket in my fist, my heart sinking in my chest. He looked up from the floor, looking surprised and then happy.

"Alaska!" he shouted happily, running towards me. I curled my legs against my chest, my entire body trembling. He held my close to him, taking my hand in his.

"Alaska, what happened?" he asked, pulling himself away and staring me in the eye, looking concerned.

"y… y-you… you do care about me?" I asked, my voice a shaky whisper.

"Of course I do!" he said as if he didn't believe I would ask hi that. He raised a hand and I flinched, only to have the hand cupping my cheek. I looked up at him in terror.

"Alaska, you know that I care about you. What would make you think that I didn't? Why did you run away like that?" his face showed his concern, but whether it was genuine or fake I didn't know.

"Y-you… you had a whip and you hit me… and then, y-you cut me and… you told me you didn't love me…"


	8. The chpter before the sequel

Russian American- Alaska

*chapter told from Texas's POV*

"Y-you… you had a whip and you hit me… and then, y-you cut me and… you told me you didn't love me…"

I gasped and stared at my young love in shock. How on earth…?

"Alaska, what would give you that idea?" I asked, wiping a tear away from him cheek and joining him on the bed. He shyly crossed his legs but said nothing. "Alaska, I love you so much, you're-"

"Please don't tell me I'm like one of your brothers." He said quietly.

"No, Alaska…" I decided that words weren't enough. It was time to let him know how I felt about him. I took his chin in my fingers and turned him towards me. He eyes grew wide in shock and terror. I could tell he thought I was going to do something horrible to him next. I took a deep breath and pressed our lips together. He gasped, releasing the blanket clenched in his fist. I waited a few seconds until I'd thought he'd gotten the message. I pulled my lips away from his, releasing his chin and opening my eyes. His were still wide with shock as he held a trembling finger to his lips.

"T-Texas…" he said, surprise obvious in his voice. I felt my heart sink. He didn't love me back. I'd waited too long to tell him and now he was scared of me for some reason. I felt like I could cry.

"Alaska, I'm sorry. I don't know what I did that scared you but… I'll leave you alone now." I got up from the bed and started toward the door.

"…T-Texas… Texas, wait! TEXAS!" I had almost closed the door behind me fully, opening it just enough to see his face.

"Texas, please don't leave!" he said, his voice shaking. "Texas, I… I love you too!" I felt something inside me change. I thought I hadn't heard him right. I stood in the doorway for a moment before coming back into the room.

"What did you just say?" I asked hopefully, wishing I hadn't heard him wrong.

"I said that… I love you!" he said it louder than before, and less fearfully. "Texas, please come back! I love you! If you left me I'd… I'd _kill myself!_" he sounded like he was about to cry. I rushed back to the bedside and put my arms around him, desperately trying to comfort him and push away the horrible thing he'd said. Instead of hugging me back he pushed my arms away, wrapped his around my neck and shoved my onto my back, planting our lips together again. I decided to make it less quick this time.

I sat back upright and wrapped my arms around him again, allowing my tongue to slip into his mouth. He moaned softly and did the same. I decided to thoroughly explore him before letting him go and, by the time I did, I knew every corner of his sweet mouth. We finally had to pull apart for air of course. He looked into my eyes, fear replaced with comfort and love. For the first time in two days, I saw him smile a real smile. He had been blessed with such a beautiful face. I softly caressed his smooth cheek and allowed him to undo the buttons of my shirt. The pajama shirt I had put on him what felt like forever ago was currently in the washing machine. It had been covered in blood after the car incident. His chest was less damaged than his back. The scars were older and blended in more, but they were still visible. I barely prevented myself from sighing out of pity. He hadn't done anything to deserve that type of treatment from his father. I'd never met the man, but I'd make sure he didn't touch Alaska if he ever showed up.

Alaska tugged lightly as my shirt, silently asking me to pull it off. I did so, allowing him to press our lips together again. It was a familiar taste now, and I'd quickly come to love it. I ran my hand through his smooth brown hair, allowing it to slip through my fingers. I hooked a thumb into his pants and began to slide them down. I felt him squeeze my neck tighter. We probably would've gone all the way if there weren't a knock at the door. We pulled apart, stared at the door, and then stared at each other. I pushed myself off of Alaska (I hadn't even realized that I'd topped him) and groped absently around the side of the bed for my shirt.

"Tex?" called Cal "Are you gonna make breakfast soon? Mex is threatening me with his cereal." Alaska giggled a little louder than he should have.

"Is Alaska awake?" he asked. I put a finger to my lips and Alaska nodded, putting on a shirt he'd found in the drawer next to the bed.

"Yeah, he is." I called back to him "he was a little upset when he woke up but he's fine now… we'll be out in a minute."

"Okay. Please hurry dude, I can't eat Raisin Bran again, that stuff makes me throw up!" I heard Mex call from the kitchen _"It's good for you!"_

"_Cállate!"_ he shouted back. I smiled to myself. Cal had never liked cereal but for some reason he'd never been able to eat Raisin Bran in all the time I'd known him (which was a very long time). He'd only eat the extremely bland cereal if we put champagne in it, which was about the last thing we needed in the morning. I turned to Alaska. He was doing the last few buttons on his shirt.

"Anything in particular you want for breakfast?" I asked.

"If you cook it, I'm sure it will be delicious." He smiled and I kissed him on the forehead. It felt appropriate to do so now, knowing that he wouldn't get scared from it. We slid off the bed together holding hands, out fingers curled together. Cal was too hungry to make any remark about this if he even noticed (thank god) and Mex was too polite to say anything. Alaska finally released my hand when he sat down at the table. I looked in the fridge to see what we had. The first thing I noticed was that we had avocadoes, one of Alaska's favorite's. I decided to make eggs with avocadoes, tomatoes, and cheese.

I glanced back at Alaska. He was looking at me and smiling, but when I looked at him he looked away. I turned back to the stove. I suppose love was something he hadn't quite gotten used to yet, which I understood. My first love had been for my brothers, but that was different love. We'd traveled together for years trying to get away from our father. That was difficult considering that we couldn't leave his country and every city had cops in it that came after us. I remembered the day we'd come back, only to get Mex and leave. He'd been so small then.

_I'd been watching the child for hours. He'd just been running around the backyard, playing with a toy ball and a few small dogs. Occasionally Mexico, his and our father, would come out to check on him or throw the ball a few times. Cal had decided to stop watching once Mexico had started to come out._

"_Cal, he's our brother. We need to save him from what happened to us." I reminded him._

"_Huh?" I'd apparently woken him up from some kind of cat nap. "right… brother… rescue… got it…"I rolled my eyes at him and looked back to our youngest brother just in time to see Mexico's car pulling out of the driveway. I decided we needed to strike now._

"_So remind me what we're going to do when we get caught kidnapping him."_

"_We're not going to get caught." I said, annoyed at him laziness "We're going to get him while dad is gone and-"_

"_That's kidnapping."_

"_It's not if we're brothers."_

"_Half brothers." He corrected._

"_Shut up!" I hissed, sliding slowly down the tree into the backyard. The dogs wouldn't bark at us because they knew us, so he had no idea we were even coming._

"_Excuse me." I said, deciding to ask him directly to come with us. He turned around to look at us, his small face more curious than surprised._

"_Hello." Came his small voice. "Are you here to play with me?"_

"_Actually, we want you to come with us. We're just friendly kidnappers that-" I elbowed Cal in the ribs._

"_My dogs seem to like you." He said, sounding completely unafraid. "They usually attack strangers but they aren't attacking you. Why is that?"_

"_It's because they know us." I said quickly before Cal had a chance to blurt anything out. "Your daddy, Mexico? He's our daddy too," his eyes grew wide with wonder._

"_Wow, really?" he asked. "Daddy talks about you sometimes when he's really angry. He usually tries to blame bad things on you guys and tells me that you're hobo runaways but you seem nice to me!" that was probably the single most awkward moment between us in the entire time we've been brothers. After a few seconds Cal started laughing and we both joined him. He was so trusting and unafraid of us, two total strangers who dropped into his backyard that he had only heard stories about._

"_My name is New Mexico, but daddy calls me little Mex because I'm like little him he says."_

"_Please don't grow up to be anything like him."_

"_Okay!" He was so innocent and adorable. But why wasn't he afraid of us? It was almost creepy. I decided to ask the big question at last._

"_New Mexico… would you like to come with us?" I asked. His eyes lit up and he smile became even brighter._

"_Wow, can I?" he asked. "Daddy tells me that you guys go on crazy adventures running away from the law and around the country. That sounds like so much fun."_

_Honestly, it wasn't the answer I'd been expecting. It was almost as if he'd wanted to be kidnapped from the start. I lifted him onto my shoulders and he told me how to open the fence gate (which our dad had changed since we'd left). Never had I even dreamed it would be this easy. He seemed to happy to be leaving this place, which made me wonder about it even more. He looked happy enough, playing with dad and his many Chihuahuas, throwing the ball so the small dogs could go stampeding after it._

"_New Mexico… why are you coming with us?"_

"_Because I want to share in your epic adventures."_

"_Yes, but… why?" he just smiled at me as if he were the older brother._

"_Because… I thought it would make you happy."_

I smiled at I served breakfast to my starving family. Cal's eggs were gone within seconds of the plate hitting the table.

"How fast was that?"

"9 seconds." Said Mex. "That's a new record."

"WHOO!" he shouted. He jumped up, almost threw his dishes into the sink, and ran out of the kitchen. I just rolled my eyes and took another bite. Alaska took his first bite, glanced up at me and smiled. I thought I saw a smile forming on Mex's mouth, but he covered it with his newspaper comics. It was one of the things I appreciated about my youngest brother, his ability to judge people. I snuck a look at Alaska before looking back to my plate. He's had the same idea and I knew he was staring down at his plate now too. One question crossed through my mind briefly; "how far would he and I go together?" I grinned to myself.

"_I'll have to wait and see."_

XxXxX

Lazy ending is lazy. XP I had a better ending this morning but me computer lost charge and shut down…

Is this the last chapter?

Yes.

Will there be an epilogue?

No.

Sequel?

Definitely.

Will Russia be there?

Da. It wouldn't be a good sequel if daddy didn't make an appearance!


End file.
